Grinnell
December 13, 2014
As I am preparing for my 2nd Dan Black Belt test I have been thinking of how many things have changed in my life since starting at Jung's Tae Kwon Do in Grinnell. Maybe that is the reason they ask for us to write these essay's. I started tae kwon do February 2011. As I said in my temp black belt essay, the agreement with my parents was I must stick it out for at least 6 months. In the past I had a tendency to start things and when it got to hard I would quit. My parents didn't want me to do that again. Who knew it would change my life in such a positive way. Less than 4 years later I am getting ready for my 2 Dan Black Belt test. In that time I have grown in more ways than I could have ever imagined.
Today I am not as quiet as I was 4 yrs ago. Last trimester in school I had a oral communication class. Never a good class for someone like me. I had 4 speeches to give in that class. When I gave those speeches I felt more confident and stronger than I have before. The self conficene that I have gained in Tae Kwon Do has really made things easier for me. I am now better able to look people in the eye and speak loud enough for everyone to hear. I feel less nervous standing up in front of the class. Four years ago I would not have been able to do that. I would stand there looking at the ground and talking very quietly. They would not have been able to hear me. I even did two of my speeches about Tae Kwon Do in that class. I am always trying to encourage my friends into joining tae kwon do so I talk about it whenever I can.
This year I am a sophomore at Grinnell High School. I am having a really good school year. My grades are better and I am becoming more social. I really think taekwondo has something to do with that.
Our Dojang has been doing several volunteer things in the community. Master Gibson says that part of Tae Kwon Do it helping those less fortunate. I have helped Mr. Gibson with some self defense classes at the college a few times. People from our dojang helped prepare meals for "Kids against Hunger" We all showed up in our Jung's t-shirts and packaged food for starving people in Honduras. We packaged something like 1500 meals in under 1 hour. We also are doing some Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringing on December 20th. Not only are we doing good things for our community but we have fun at the same time. I am looking forward to doing many more things in the future. Our dojang will be looking for more things like this next year.
If I pass my 2 Dan test I will have 2 years before testing again. Hopefully I will continue to grow and learn. I will keep working on my forms, definitions and trying to keep getting better. One thing I do know I need to keep working on is teaching taekwondo. I don't mind helping people but it makes nervous. I guess I need to be more confident about that. There were many people who took time to help me and I have to share that with others. It is always good to have something to work on and keep improving. I am going to make more of an effort to attend more tournaments. Seems like they always hit weekends when I have other commitments.
I like all the forms but my favorite forms are Won Hyo and Dan Gun. I have to work on improving all of my forms and definitions so I can keep getting better. My favorite Palgwe is 8. It is the one I find the most fun to do. My least favorite Palgwe is 1. There are a lot of stances changes that are a bit tricky for me. My favorite break is flying side kick. Because of my size it is the one I feel most comfortable doing.
I want to thank Master Gibson for being such an amazing teacher. If it were not for him I would not be here testing today. My family for helping me with this journey. Also, a big thank you to all of my Grinnell Jung's family. You have all helped me so much. Pilsung
